What Congress Can do About Amnesty

Starting in January, Republicans will no longer be, in the formulation of House Speaker John Boehner, “one-half of one-third of the government.” They will have control of the entire Congress, the one-third of the government which the Founding Fathers deemed should be solely responsible for matters of immigration and citizenship. As such, they will have the power to reverse the President’s Amnesty Declaration and send back the thirty million illegal aliens who are currently in the US. How should they proceed?

They need to use the tactics of the Left. They need to attack 24/7 from all directions.

Use the mainstream media. Republicans need to make their case to the public. Many good Americans get all of their news from the mainstream media, and they have no idea what is really happening in the country. Those Americans need to hear that the President is violating the Constitution. They need to hear that Obama cares more about people from Mexico and Central America than he cares about them. They need to know that illegal immigrants take away jobs and lower wages, and are a burden on government services. Sure, the media is going to defend their leftist friends. That’s OK. If you know and expect that, you can prepare for it. With practice the media people can be put on the defensive.

Use the power of the purse. Republicans shouldn’t do anything foolish like passing an omnibus spending bill. They need to pass a number of bills defunding anything and everything related to Amnesty or anything that aids or encourages illegal immigration. They need to be bold, not timid. Won’t Obama veto such bills? Probably, unless they are attached to things he likes or needs. But Republicans would make the point just by daring him to veto the bills. They should take a page from the Democrats’ playbook. The Democrat-controlled Congress got Republican President Richard Nixon to commence a hasty retreat from Vietnam by relentless efforts to defund the military. In 1969 Senators Cooper and Church could not get the House to support their proposed amendment to a defense spending bill which would have prevented military spending in Laos and Thailand. They tried again the next year and succeeded. Continued efforts led to large majorities in both houses passing the Case-Church Amendment in 1973, which required a complete withdrawal from Southeast Asia. Nixon had lobbied against it, but by then he was in a weakened position and could do nothing about it. Later Nixon vetoed the War Powers Resolution, but Congress overrode his veto. The Democrats did not shy away because they were afraid of a Presidential veto; they kept trying, and eventually they won.

Shut down the government. Yes. Show the American public that a government shutdown is not something we need to fear. What we need to fear is an out-of-control, wasteful, anti-Constitutional government. When a reporter asks, “Are you gonna shut down the government?” the Republicans should say, “Not me. Only the President can shut down the government, but I hope he does. In fact, I’d like to close down permanently some agencies and departments like the EPA and Department of Education.” The Republican politician who talks in this way will become an instant folk hero.

Use exclusive powers granted in Article 1, Section 8, of the Constitution to deport illegal aliens. They should create an agency which answers only to Congress for the sole purpose of deporting illegal aliens. They should follow Eisenhower’s example and put a former general in charge. No trials. No hearings. You don’t have a legitimate ID? On the bus to Mexico you go! They don’t need Obama’s approval for this. Congress has its own version of the pen and phone; it is called exclusive Constitutional power. Article 1, Section 8, has two noteworthy parts: one gives Congress alone the power “To establish an uniform rule of naturalization,” and the other provides that Congress has the power “for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions.” Clearly thirty million illegal aliens constitutes an invasion and since the executive branch won’t enforce the immigration laws, Congress, using the same kind of broad interpretation of the Constitution the Democrats are famous for, should call forth a “militia” to do so.

Start making plans for impeachment of Obama and bringing criminal charges against him and Eric Holder. If the Republicans start to work on impeachment and enough of them talk about it every day, it will, at the least, put the White House on the defensive and cause the lefties there to devote significant energy to fending off those charges rather than using that energy to destroy the country.

This five-prong strategy can only succeed if the Republicans are as bold and aggressive as the Democrats always are. Just ask yourself, “What would Harry Reid do?” They need to employ the tactics that have a proven track record of success. Cowering in the corner has never won anything. Always losing the fight because our guy has one hand tied behind his back, while the other guy uses two hands is a foolish strategy. They need to remember what is at stake and that nobody likes a weakling for a leader.